Best Interests of the Child
by jayer
Summary: Dylan finds himself called to take on a new role in the aftermath of his mother's arrest. [post trust me]
1. Chapter 1

For a moment Dylan forgot where he was. But the serious crick in his neck and the rhythmic beeping of equipment coming from various rooms snapped him back to reality.

A seriously messed up reality. Hearing the whole horrific story of what had happened to their mother had been bad enough. But the tidal wave of, there were no words.

No words for the gut wrenching feeling that had almost consumed Dylan as he saw his brother emerging from the darkness of the road just in time to see Norma being put in the back of Romero's SUV. The cry of anguish was like the shriek of a wild animal. He never would have believed his brother capable of such an explosion of movement, of such uncontrolled wildness, had it not been for their fight. It was like a tornado, one of those giant house crushing ones. And then without warning Norman dropped like a rock, out cold, his pulse racing like his heart would burst right out of his chest. But otherwise nothing. Until he came to in the ambulance, hysterically ranting about betrayal, lies. The paramedics, fearful that Norman might actually have some kind of heart attack, had no choice but to sedate him.

Dylan stood in the doorway watching his brother sleeping, an IV in his arm, a monitor recording the drug induced steady beating of his heart. The doctor, apparently the same one that had seen Norman the first time when, Dylan finally discovered, his brother had mysteriously passed out in the middle of a school test. The whole conversation was a blur of bizarre medical terms, worse case scenarios, possible diagnoses. Dylan felt like he was trapped under water, his body desperately crying for air. Or at least a cigarette. He knew he should quit but today was not the day for that. Not even close. But he couldn't the strength to walk outside. And then there was the queasy feeling in his stomach at the thought of leaving his brother alone for even that short of a time.

"Mr Bates?" A voice, female with a touch of a foreign accent, came from behind.

Dylan turned to find a young woman, maybe three or four years older than him, standing in the hall.

"Massett." Dylan said with a sleepy smile. "We're half brothers. You can just call me Dylan."

"I'm Kate Donnelley, from Social Services. Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"

Dylan looked back over his shoulder.

"The nurses will page me if he wakes up, but we really need to talk."


	2. Chapter 2

Dylan followed the woman down to the hospital cafeteria. The room was rather small and crowded with doctors, nurses and the occasional family member.

"I prefer sitting outside." She pointed to a cluster of tables outside, her tone suggesting Dylan should go wait for her. "Cream? Sugar?"

"Black"

Waiting gave Dylan a chance to get a better look. This Kate Donnelly was average height, slender, a bit flat chested. Her hair was a dirty blonde like his but with faint traces of red. Her eyes were a grayish light blue. She was dressed in chinos and a polo shirt. Rather casual outfit for a hospital official. Tactic to put him at ease perhaps. Guys at Juvie liked to try those tricks. What he really needed was a cigarette. Or a weekend in certain woods.

Donnelly set down a tray with two cups and a small plate.

"Coffee on an empty stomach is highly unadvised." She pushed the plate in front of him. "I hope a bagel's okay. The eggs looked a bit past their sell by."

"It's fine. Thank you." Dylan took a bite and found that he was actually very hungry. "So what did you want to talk about? Other than my brother."

Kate laughed. "Not much for small talk are you?"

"Too tired for it. And I'd really like to get back to my brother. I don't want him to wake up again."

"Then I'll get to the point. I split my time between here and the high school as a part time guidance counselor but ultimately you could say I work for the state. My job is to ensure that any child that is a potentially precarious position is looked after, that everything possible is done and everything done is in the best interest of the child."

"Sounds intense."

"Generally no. It's a small town and few major incidents occur. I spend more time dealing with delinquents that spray paint vulgarities on the lockers and similar antics."

"I appreciate the concern but, aside from my mother being falsely arrested, we're good. And besides my brother's not a child."

"Regardless of Norman's physical form, mental state and so forth he is only 17 which legally makes him a child." Kate took a sip from her coffee. "Am I to take from your tone that you are planning to look after your brother until this situation with your mother is resolved? Or should I make arrangements for him to be transported to the youth home in Portland?"

"I'm his brother, of course I'm looking after him." Dylan found himself very irritated at her questions.

"Good. I'm not keen on shipping a kid off, especially one who's already been uprooted from his home. And one with your brother's history."

"Like you know anything about that."

"You might be surprised, Dylan, what I know about Norman. Benefit of my jobs is that I can ask for, and often get, copies of all sorts of things. School records, medical records, even police reports.

"I know for example that your mother was being honest with Levine when she said that Norman has no history of sudden blackouts. No major illnesses, no accidents that involved possible concussions. Which would be fantastic if not for the current state of things. A known medical condition would be potentially easier to handle. But now what we could be looking at is either something new and that's a nightmarish list of possibilities or something psychosomatic."

"Psycho what? You think my brother's crazy?"

"Psychosomatic just means something mental causing a physical reaction. Like Flight or Fight. Only in Norman's case it's revved up, likely by what he went through with his father's death." Kate laughed. "I suppose, in a way, I am saying perhaps your brother is crazy. But only temporary. It's not an uncommon condition, people go through it all the time. It's called Post Traumatic Stress."

"Is that why that doctor threatened to have Norman kept here on some hold thing?"

"No, Levine's mostly pissed that your brother is back again after your mother took him home against advice. Not pissed but massively irritated. He's a good doctor and he wants to be certain he's not sending Norman out to pass out or have a seizure or such and get hit by a car or fall off the pier and drown.

"And I hate to be the one to say it but he's right to want to keep Norman here to observation. A controlled environment might give them a better chance to sort out if it is stress or something else. And if it is then how best to treat it. Might be medication for a little while, or just perhaps talking to a therapist. Perhaps both. It wouldn't be out of line for someone like Norman."

"So that's it. Doc sent you to convince me not to raise a stink again." Dylan sighed. "I just don't know. I mean I only just came back to live with my family, I was on my own for a while. I can handle making sure Norman eats and puts on pants before he goes out in public. Make sure he goes to school and does his homework. But this, Norma should be the one making these decisions. Or at least I would feel better if I could talk to her but Romano is blocking me. I don't even know if she knows Norman is okay. And then there's the motel and Norman's hospital bill and the legal bills."

Kate's phone jumped on the table.

"I'm sorry I need to take this." She picked up the phone and walked to the edge of the patio.

Dylan dug in his pocket for his cigarettes and lighter. He took a long drag, flicking the ash into his empty coffee cup.

"I'm sorry Dylan, I have to go. Teenage reprobate issue at the high school. Seems two girls just found out they were dating the same guy and got into a fist fight in the hallway."

She pulled a flat black case out of her bag. "I know it's not much and you'll probably have a ton of questions, but there are some materials on here that might get you started on sorting things out."

Dylan pulled out an iPad. "I can't take this."

"You're taking it, you're borrowing it. And it's my old one. I kept it around for this sort of thing. It's still signed into the hospital's private wifi so promise me you won't try to look up porn."

"I'll try to control myself."

"I'll see what I can do about Romero, get you a chance to talk to your mother."

"Thanks."

"If you get really bored I think some of my movies are still on there."

"Movies?"

"I was a film history minor at university. Mind you most of what I watch are mid 20th century black and white foreign films with subtitles, so it might not be your taste."

"Norman would probably love them. He's into old movies."

"Great, he's welcome to watch them, I highly recommend the Seven Samurai and Wings of Desire." Kate reached back into her bag and pulled out a charger. "You'll probably need this. It will be just the thing to keep him occupied without suffering brain rot from those inane daytime trash shows. You can just leave it with the nurses if I don't see you before he goes home. Although I will try to stop by and my card should be in the case. Text me if you need anything, okay."

Kate grabbed her coffee cup and turned to go. "Oh and don't let them catch you smoking, it's off limits."


	3. Chapter 3

Dylan finished his cigarette and lit a second. It was that kind of a day. As he reached for the iPad he noticed an envelope on the table. He turned it over to find Norman's name on it. Inside was a thick stack of papers that looked like the records Kate had mentioned.

Dylan closed the envelope. It was his brother's private business and certainly hadn't been left there on purpose.

Dylan finished his cigarette and cleaned up his trash. He walked back to the hospital room to find his brother still asleep. A nurse was recording some information on his chart.

"Did you have a nice walk?"

"Just went to get some breakfast. How is he?"

"Just fine."

"Is it normal that he's still asleep? It's been like 6 hours."

"It's not abnormal, not for someone that was sedated. Some folks just need longer for it to work out the system." The nurse, a grandmotherly type, smiled at him. "Don't fret about it. He's in good hands. And so are you. I'll be at the station if you need anything."

"Actually, could you tell me where Kate Donnelley's office is?"

"Katie doesn't have an office. Not here at least. I think she might at the school. She just finds a corner or an empty spot at a nurses station when she needs it. I've got her cell phone number if you need to leave her a message."

"No, I just," Dylan paused. He wasn't sure he wanted to just leave the envelope laying around. He really felt like he should give it back in person. She might get in trouble if anyone found out she misplaced it. "I just thought I might leave her a note to thank her for the coffee. But I'll call her later."

"Aren't you a fine young man." The nurse beamed at him as she went back to her perch in the hall.

Dylan started reading though the documents on the iPad.

"She was very thorough." Dylan muttered to himself, skimming through everything from child services laws to building maintenance codes. A long list of things they would have to get done to avoid the motel being shut down began to form in his head. Dylan found a notepad app and began to type them in, afraid he's forget them. He stumbled onto another document about that whole Post Traumatic Stress thing Donnelley had mentioned. One part stuck out. Reading the description about how some people could go into a 'fugue state' where they would act totally out of character and even often not remember what happened later, sent a chill down his spine. Could she be right?

Dylan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He was starting to feel that queasy feeling again. He rarely liked to admit it to anyone including himself but he was not immune to some anxiety of his own. It was part of why he rarely stayed in one place for too long. Before it didn't matter, there were no real stakes, no one that needed him. Now, things were changing fast. Norman needed him, at least until their mother came home. He couldn't run off and he couldn't bury his nerves in a whiskey or a beer. He'd told Kate he was staying but a part of his wasn't sure he could do it. A part of him really wanted to get up and walk out right then. But he couldn't find the nerve to do it.

Dylan woke up to find it was just after noon. Norman was still fast asleep, a steady beep coming from the monitor. Otherwise the room was totally quiet, making the grumbling from his stomach seem like a roar.

"I'm going to go down to the cafeteria." Dylan told the nurse as he walked by.

"The chicken sandwich is on special. It's really good."

"Sounds great. Thanks."

"I'll page you if your brother wakes up, take your time."

Dylan found the table on the patio empty. He went back to looking at the iPad while he munched on the sandwich and fries. The envelope practically called to him. He knew he shouldn't but Kate's comment popped into his head. _Someone like Norman_. Something in how she said it felt like she didn't just mean the thing with his father. Or being the new kid in town.

"Screw it." Dylan wiped his hands off on a napkin. He didn't want grease marks to give him away. He pulled out the papers and began looking through them.

Medical records were few shocks. Eye exams basically normal, only a couple of cavities and the one broken tooth from when Norman fell trying to learn how to ride Dylan's old bicycle. It was a baby tooth and thus something of a non issue. He was up on all his shots and there was nothing more than a few stomach aches and one incident of some bullies punching him around at school, that was the year after Dylan walked out in search of his father. They x-rayed his chest but Norman only had bruised ribs, not cracked ones. Seemed like the records expected for a skinny, nerdy kid.

There were school records dating back to Norman starting Kindergarten. Teachers reports that Norman wasn't socializing properly, recommendations that he be put in remedial programs, a refusal to pass him into first grade. He vaguely remembered Norma being in a snit about something and then the two of them ended up at a new school. More reports with references to possible mental retardation, social disfunction and so on. Teachers comments about Norman passing standardized tests with scores generally seen among kids with near to genius IQs but in class grades barely above average. No participation in sports, choir, drama or other programs. One teacher remarking that it was as if Norman didn't want any attention and recommending he see a counselor for a possible social anxiety condition. The only non surprise was Norman failing classes the year before after his father died and now having to repeat his junior year.

There were notes about his previous blackout. Things from his English teacher who was also some kind of advisor about Norman trying out for the track team but then not joining after all. Comments from some of the other kids, including something from a kid that saw Norman throw up in the school cafeteria. Looking at the date on the note, Dylan realized it was just after their mother's rape.

Suddenly Dylan wished he hadn't eaten anything. He'd flipped over a page to find the police report for Sam's death. His eyes had fallen on one sickening line. Victim found by son. No one had told him that Norman was the one that found his father's body. It was one thing to have your father die but this was much worse.

He understood Kate's comment now. She was looking at Norman as a possibly already unstable kid who went through something that horrible then got uprooted to a new place and snapped. It made sense, he probably would too. Although she had no idea about the rape, about their fight, the very things that probably pushed Norman over the line to crazy land.

Dylan reached into his pocket for his phone only to find it missing. Likely fallen out in Norman's room. Dylan put the papers back in the envelope as carefully as he could and headed back. He'd call Kate and find out if she'd convinced Romero to let him talk to his mother. If not, he'd figure something out.

As he was walking down the hall, Dylan heard his name on the PA system, paging him to the Nurses Station outside Norman's room.


	4. Chapter 4

Dylan reached his brother's room to find Norman awake. Romero and Shelby were there

"You need to answer these questions." Romero was saying to Norman has Dylan walked in. "If you don't, you can be put in jail for obstruction of justice."

Norman was white as a sheet, near tears and visibly shaking. The beeping on the monitor was speeding up.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Dylan stormed in the room.

"Good afternoon, Dylan."

"It's Mr Massett to you." Dylan sneered. "And you haven't answered my question. What do you think you are doing here?"

"Your brother and I were just having a little chat. Nothing to be worried about."

"Oh really, Sheriff Romero. I'm going to have to disagree." Dylan walked right up to the older man and stood inches from him but firmly in between Romero and Norman.

"What I see here is you questioning a child without consent from his legal guardian which under state law would be me as his next adult kin in light of our mother being incarcerated and unable to care for said child."

"Your brother is hardly a child." Romero half laughed.

Kate's words popped into Dylan's head. "As I was reminded by my brother's social worker, despite the appearance of being an adult, Norman is only 17 and thus legally a child. And with that comes certain legal protections including being protected from harassment by local law enforcement."

"No one is harassing your brother." Romero attempted to side step around Dylan only to find the younger man quick to move in front of him. Dylan cast a quick look over Romero's shoulder to see Deputy Shelby staying firmly out of choosing sides. At least until he had to. Like if Dylan actually punched someone.

"Like hell. Threatening to send Norman to jail if he didn't talk to you sure sounds harassing to me." Dylan seethed. "Lets see what Child Services has to say about it. Even better lets see what the Judge says when I sue you for violation of my brother's rights. My clearly physically ill, emotionally disturbed, mentally retarded brother. The state might just decide you are unfit to be sheriff when they hear about that.

"Now get the hell out of my brother's room."

There was a long pause as Romero tried to stare Dylan down. After the count of easily a minute he stepped away.

"I'll be back."

"Not without my permission." Dylan didn't blink.

Dylan didn't wait for the men to leave before turning to his brother. Norman was practically hyperventilating.

"Norm, it's okay." Dylan sat down on the side of the bed, pulling his brother into a loose hug. "Calm down okay. You'll fine. They're gone."

Dylan could sense the nurse standing behind them, probably ready to give Norman another sedative. But Dylan didn't want his brother doped up all the time. With luck the doctor would agree.

Slowly Dylan felt his brother stop shaking, hear the beeping slow down.

"See, much better." Dylan smiled as Norman laid back.

"I woke up and no one was here." Norman whispered. "Then Romero came in and started asking questions and I didn't know what to tell him."

"Sorry about that. Geez Norman, you're a mess." Dylan laughed. "Your hair is sticking all up and your shirt is all sweaty."

"You should look in a mirror." Norman shot back with a giggle.

"That bad huh? Well unlike you I was sleeping in a chair all night. When I could sleep, dang thing is not uncomfortable. My butt kept cramping."

"Pretty bad ass for someone with a cramped butt and no sleep."

"You think I was bad ass?"

"Yeah."

"Well nobody messes with my baby brother." Dylan smiled. "Speaking of THAT, I don't really think you're retarded. Okay? I found out that it's in school records that some of your old teacher's thought that. I just said it to get Romero to back off."

"You found out? How?"

"We have a friend. She kind of told me, sort of. About that and a bunch of other stuff. Like exactly how Sam died. If you want to talk about just say so. I'm here. We can talk about anything."

Norman shrugged.

Dylan was trying to think what to say when the nurse came back with clean clothes and sheets. She remade the bed while Norman changed clothes in the bathroom.

"So how long do I have to stay?" Norman asked after the nurse had left.

"A night, maybe more. But I have something that might help pass the time." Dylan grinned.

"Yeah?"

"Our new friend let me borrow this." Dylan grabbed the iPad from the chair where he'd dumped. "She's into movies. Old foreign ones. When I said you like old movies she said you could borrow it and watch whatever was on it. If you want."

"Sure."

"Cool. She said there's one about samurais that you should watch."

"You keep saying She. Doesn't she have a name." Norman jabbed.

"Kate Donnelley."

"Miss Donnelley from school?"

"You know her?"

"I met her when Mom and I went to register. She's cute."

"I guess." Dylan fumbled with the iPad, looking for the movies.

"You're blushing."

"I am not."

"Are too."

"I. Am. Not." Dylan propped up the iPad on the tiny bed table. "Now hush and watch the movie."

Dylan was never one for movies that required him to read and thus he really couldn't get into the story. Norman, on the other hand, was enrapt. Watching his little brother out of the corner of his eye, Dylan found himself thinking how, outside of being in a hospital room, the whole thing felt strangely right. Looking out for each other, teasing and laughing, watching a movie. Weren't those the things that brothers should be doing. Sitting there he realized that for the first time in a long time, even before he found himself forced to 'come home', Dylan was relaxed. There were no queasy feelings lurking in his stomach, no thoughts rattling in the back of his head. He didn't feel that overwhelming need for a cigarette.

"That was great. Did you like it?"

"Yeah." Dylan said, hoping not to get caught in his little white lie. "Why don't you pick another one, I gotta take a piss."

"Classy."

"But true." Dylan smirked.

Dylan paused in the doorway to the tiny bathroom. He looked back at Norman, intensely reading the screen.

He'd come because he had no where else to go. He'd thought at first he'd stick around and try to screw up Norma's little dream world. Payback for all those years.

But now, for the first time, someone needed him. And he kind of liked that. He really felt like a big brother. He felt like he could do whatever needed to be done. For the best interest of the child.

"hurry up would ya." Norman's voice cut into his thoughts.

And who knew maybe it was also in the best interest of him.


End file.
